Best movies of 2017

[cinemabon]

Having seen smidgens of it here and there (I only just got Showtime back); I wondered, Oscar, what you thought of the ending. I've read several interpretations. Unfortunately, Chris said he hasn't seen it. (Did you see the original, Chris?) The first series which aired decades ago starred Kyle MacLachlin, who also starred in the Lynch production, "Blue Velvet," fresh off his debut in "Dune." The first series attracted an unusual crowd of murder mystery and sci-fi/horror fans as Lynch played to several audiences (ABC network TV). The first series ended (mostly due to ratings) with no resolution. That they brought it back spoke more to Lynch wanting closure, I believe. I'm certain fans of the series must have hounded him to death.

Speaking of death, many actors connected to the series either died during or just after the shooting concluded (Harry Dean Stanton and others). Even David Bowie is featured with a dubbed voice. Twin Peaks - the Return is available to stream. Lynch premiered the series at last year's Cannes. The audience responded with a five-minute standing ovation.

Interesting choice, Oscar.

[Chris Knipp]

"Twin Peaks" ? Yes, I followed the original on TV.
I don't think figuring out the ending is a very worthwhile activity. Willing suspension is the best way to enjoy the wild invention that is David Lynch.
There has been some discussion of whether this new extension can be a "film" to list as a "best film" of the year and, indeed, accepting TV series as "films" seems like a bad direction. But I might make an exception in the case of Lynch, as one would accept other miniseries that could be considered artistic long films, such as Olivier Assayas' 2010 much-admired Carlos, starring Edgar Ramírez.

[cinemabon]

Spielberg just argued to the contrary, decrying "Netflix" as undermining the award process. Several outlets carried the story. Here's a link to one: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/20...eserve-oscars/

[Chris Knipp]

But now three-time Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg has said that films made by Netflix should not be awarded Oscars simply because they have had a short cinematic release, and called the service: "a clear and present danger to film-goers". - Telegraph.

Good for him. That is a different issue, though, from whether or not "Twin Peaks" is a film, I thought, which is about length. Format. Rather than presentation method.

[oscar jubis]

I still don't have a firm opinion on Spielberg decrying Netflix.
Let's give Chris all the credit for linking Kubrick and Lynch via Nabokov. I found the comments very interesting and the links take you on intriguing paths.
I don't see reason to leave out a great piece of audiovisual narrative because of length, or "platform" or format. It's become increasingly difficult to separate what premieres in theaters from what debuts on broadcast TV or available via streaming. There are a number of made-for-TV films or series in my canon. They include Dekalog , Berlin Alexanderplatz,An Angel at My Table (1990), The Boys of St. Vincent, etc. Others that I need to watch (test) one more time before listing include Pride and Prejudice (1995), Angels in America (2003),and Mildred Pierce(2011). My listing of Twin Peaks: The Rturn in 2017 coheres with my desire to acknowledge my appreciation of these works.
I think it would be interesting to open a thread to discuss movies from the current millennium that have been maligned in some way, under appreciated, or "mismarketed", ignored, etc. I teach film history and one constant is that there are myriad films of all kinds which today are hailed as great achievements and widely viewed that were considered terrible or barely released at all when they were new. I have a couple of films I want to bring up that fit into these categories. One fits into the definition of "film maudit". Any interest in that kind of thing. Can you think of films you know that you think are great that few have seen? Or that you think it's been completely misunderstood?

[Chris Knipp]

It's good to be liberal, Oscar, but you can be too liberal, and then the world crumbles into chaos. "Dekalog" is great and profound, but it's a series of films, not a film. They certainly have validity as feature films. It's an "anthology series," in current jargon.

Cinemabon, at first I thought it was Johann talking with the fanboy talk, but then you say you haven't the time. I am not busy since the SFIFF ended so I could devote many hours to first "Twin Peaks: The Return" and then "Babylon Berlin." Which, incidentally, in my view are not movies, but TV series. My friend says this is "the golden age of television" and so, there is a plethora of great series. I think if we want to argue about this, the thing is, that there is a certain limit to what can make sense at one sitting, a rhythm and a flow that makes the experience of a feature in a theater satisfying. They can be long. Oh boy, can they ever. But we don't have to call something that's in 18 episodes a film. But call it that if you like. I just would hold back.

[cinemabon]

I'm such a colloquial pussy (but don't grab me). I have Pride and Prejudice (1995 Colin Firth) on "fast dial" on my laptop. Whenever I feel subservient or submissive too much, I pull it up and fantasize I'm Mr. Darcy, prancing around with too much pride. Just as Jeremy Brett epitomized Holmes, so too does Firth with Darcy. Nobody does it better (to quote Carly). The golden age of TV? Perhaps if you discount the 1950's when you had writers like Rod Serling cranking out things like "Requiem for a Heavyweight." Nothing like access to Broadway in which TV studios drafted talent in those days. Now they just turn to modeling agencies. Too cynical?

[Chris Knipp]

Cinemabon, the original TV Golden Age of the Fifties that you refer to was really special and I loved what little I saw of it. Everything was so simple and direct then. But now the quantity of good stuff is astounding. Even Emily Nussbaum, the excellent New Yorker TV writer from whose column I learned about "High Maintenance" and "The Deuce", can't keep up with it all. I learned about "The Good Wife," "Black Mirror" and "Babylon Berlin" from Peter. You cannot totally discount the claim that this is a new TV Golden Age. I am no expert, but some say it all began with David Chase and "The Sopranos" in the Nineties. And then he followed up with "The Wire" and lately, "The Deuce" (which I like a lot). And I don't think the casts are fielded from "modeling agencies." Yes, too cynical.

With HBO and Showtime access and a subscription to Netflix, I can watch a lot of this stuff on my computer screen. Other series I have enjoyed: "Mr. Robot." "Silicon Valley." "Bored to Death." Plan to watch: "The Americans." "Billions." ""Halt and Catch Fire," "The Leftovers."

I understand that "Twin Peaks: The Return" crowns all these, in a class by itself, and David Lynch's original "Twin Peaks" is considered to be a great influence on the best, most imaginative TV done since.


HALT AND CATCH FIRE

[oscar jubis]

I'm glad you like that adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice" and thanks to you (and Chris) for all the comments about tv series that you've seen that are really good. Good to learn. especially for me, who hasn't seen most of them. There's just so many movies and so many other things to do. I'm doing a lot of running and cross training these days and spending time outdoors. I'm also "seriously" dating because it's time I have a "serious" relationship again and it takes time to do that.

[oscar jubis]

Having seen smidgens of it here and there (I only just got Showtime back); I wondered, Oscar, what you thought of the ending. I've read several interpretations. Unfortunately, Chris said he hasn't seen it. (Did you see the original, Chris?) The first series which aired decades ago starred Kyle MacLachlin, who also starred in the Lynch production, "Blue Velvet," fresh off his debut in "Dune." The first series attracted an unusual crowd of murder mystery and sci-fi/horror fans as Lynch played to several audiences (ABC network TV). The first series ended (mostly due to ratings) with no resolution. That they brought it back spoke more to Lynch wanting closure, I believe. I'm certain fans of the series must have hounded him to death.

Speaking of death, many actors connected to the series either died during or just after the shooting concluded (Harry Dean Stanton and others). Even David Bowie is featured with a dubbed voice. Twin Peaks - the Return is available to stream. Lynch premiered the series at last year's Cannes. The audience responded with a five-minute standing ovation.

Interesting choice, Oscar.

Apologies for taking so long to respond to your query, and also for not providing my interpretation of the ending; being lazy I guess since it would require stringing many thoughts together.I am happy Lynch again decided to make it strange in unexpected ways, to continue moving forward with his characteristic aesthetic. Again, he gives us a series the public is not quite ready for. He breaks with narrative convention in a more pronounced way in this series and you can thank technology (CGI, etc) for the means or tools to do it. The 2017 series incorporates purely avant-grade, basically non-narrative, expressionistic image-making and the sound designed and mixed by David Lynch himself is a crucial element in achieving the emotional, cognitive and physical effects the material aims to elicit.

Thanks for the post.

[cinemabon]

Let ambiguity and nihilism reign supreme!

[Chris Knipp]

I'm watching the new Twin Peaks now. But with 18 55-minute episodes, it's a lot to watch and I hope I can cancel my Amazon-Showtime free trial in time. 7 days to watch 18 hours. Julie Muncy, a Wired writer, has a piece in Polygon about intentionally crude effects and new technology used in the series. Frankly, I think the straightforward noir-soap scenes, are better and more important than any of the surreal effects, though they are necessary Lynchian embroidery, of course.

Watched John Krasinski's new monster movie A Quiet Place today. Miraculously simple and effective - the word-of-mouth hype I've been hearing was justified.

[Chris Knipp]

A little research can't hurt since we're talking about the continuation of something that began 25 years ago.

"An academic definition of Lynchian might be that the term 'refers to a particular kind of irony where the very macabre and he very mundane combine in such a way as to reveal the former's perpetual containment within the latter.' But like postmodern or pornographic, Lynchian is one of those Potter Stewart-type words that's definable only ostensively --i.e., we know it when we see it. Ted Bundy wasn't particularly Lynchian, but good old Jeffrey Dahmer, with his victim's various anatomies neatly separated and stored in his fridge alongside his chocolate milk and Shedd Spread, was thoroughly Lynchian. . ."
-from "David Lynch Keeps His Head," in A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace, 1997, which I thought it might be time to get out and read again.

[Chris Knipp]

By the way ~ Kazuo Miyagawa


Floating Weeds

A retrospective is being held of the cinematography of Kazuo Miyagawa (1908-1999), whose contribution to the world's lensing is unbelievably important, it turns out (Ozu, Mizoguchi, Kurosawa, Ichikawa). It's at MoMA and the Japan Society in New York. See this MoMA announcement:

https://www.moma.org/calendar/film/4955?locale=en

[Chris Knipp]

I finished TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN (2017). Learned a word. Tulpa. http://twinpeaks.wikia.com/wiki/Tulpa
This is pivotal for the whole plot of Dale Cooper's multiple personalities. The series could be calledTulpa-ing. More than the "irony" of the "macabre and the mundane" the focus seems to be on the spiritual and the paranormal.